THE RANDOM MUSINGS OF A SOCAL GAL WHO HAPPENS TO BE AN OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE NATIVE PLANT GARDENER, OCCASIONAL BOTANIZER (WITH A SPECIAL AFFECTION FOR ALL THINGS CAMISSONIA), BIRDER, WANNABE PHOTOGRAPHER, AND FOODIE.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Evolution of a Haphazard Garden: Native Plant Gardening, from Clueless to 'Hey, they're not all dead yet..."

As I've mentioned many times before, I started my little adventure with native plant gardening about 4 years ago when we moved out to our property. In the beginning I felt really overwhelmed. We had moved from a townhouse with a miniscule back yard to a 5-acre lot (Tinkerbell to T-Rex). Although we preserved about 3 acres of the native chaparral, some portions adjacent to the house had been cleared during construction, leaving swathes of exposed decomposed granite ('DG'), which looked about as alluring as the Martian landscape in Total Recall, minus the hellish red hue and general lack of oxygen, of course.

We quickly found out that the cost to have the property professionally landscaped was going to be astronomical, so I had to go Zen and accept the fact that this whole gardening thing was going to have to be a labor of love (crap, there goes instant gratification) and involve a lot of DIY and TLC...

As I survey my experiments in landscaping today, two things come to mind: First, MAN, did I kill a lot of native plants over the years - generally that's what happens to the novice who plants in the wrong season (fall-early winter are the best times in SoCal to install natives) or screws up the watering regimen. Second, the end result after 4 years of sometimes laughable trial and error are actually not so bad. There's not one spot of grass/lawn on the property except in Hana's dog run, and that really, really cuts back on the water bill.

In retrospect, I have the good fortune of having the perfect soil here in the form of DG, which many natives happen to thrive in. Also, I've learned that if you plant in the cooler weather of fall-winter, root systems will become better established, after which drought tolerant varieties may not need any supplemental water during the summer months after the first year. My challenges remain the prolific bunnies (ours will eat EVERYTHING and anything green that's under 3' tall) and a variety of rodents (which love to recklessly pillage and snack on the bulbs of native lilies, alliums, brodiaeas, etc.).

As for garden design, I am at best a "Haphazard" gardener. More often than not, I follow my own twisted logic when it comes to assembling color combos & palettes. My gut instinct, which has worked thus far, is to group plants with similar cultural requirements (recommended by all the native plant experts) and then add a splash of colorful annuals and/or native bulbs in betwixt. So there. Abracadabra & Shazam! Oh, and it's also good to use lots & lots of wood chip mulch.

5/27/10 An ersatz allee of Western Redbuds (Cercis occidentalis) along the front entry's super rustic walkway (pea gravel galore). The low shrubs in between are 'Sunset' & 'Harmony' Manzanitas. Good subs for boxwoods for now, but I think they'll get much bigger over time (hopefully they won't morph into the likes of Audrey, a la Little Shop of Horrors).

Thanks, Rosie - I'm certainly never bored with the multitude of never-ending garden tasks around the property. But, I have to say that I've been pretty impressed with & inspired by your own amazing gardenscapes!

Great Destinations

What's Growing in the Cottage/Herb Garden

5/16/10 Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota). Up to 5 ft. tall with delicate umbels of pure white flowers from spring through summer. A real butterfly magnet, I grow this biennial in the cottage garden along with Bachelor Buttons and Sweet Peas. This European wild carrot is edible (when you've got nothing better to eat) and used as an herbal remedy in Europe and Asia.

What's Growing in the Orchard

1/1/12 Moro Blood Orange (Citrus sinensis). The fruits of our Moro Blood Orange tree typically start to ripen in December. It's a gorgeous fruit, whose orange peel is often blushed with burgundy, and when fully ripe, the interior will turn a stunning dark red. Few seeds, very sweet & juicy.

10/10/10 Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana). We planted this tree in 2006, and it's finally fruiting! This South American guava is widely available in most nurseries here in SoCal and makes for a superb, smaller ornamental tree. Seems frost tolerant for a subtropical and has beautiful pink blooms in late spring. Wiki says the ripe fruits will drop...so, just waiting for the fruit to drop.

10/10/10 Arbequina Olives. Used as both a table olive & for olive oil, this variety hails from Catalonia. As of May 2012, we have 24 olive trees in varying degrees of maturity including Mission, Leccino, Manzanillo, Ascolano, Pendolino, Frantoio, Arbequina, Kalamata, Salonenque, Picholine, Aglandau, and Chemiali.

10 Longan (Dimocarpus longan). Longan or "Dragon's Eye" is another subtropical that's native to South/SE Asia (including Taiwan). As a kid, I always preferred Lychees to Longan (Lychees seemed juicier), but they're quite similar in form & taste (sweet & delish). I'll bet they taste great in a martini. We bought this tree as a 15 gallon from San Gabriel Nursery in 2006 and it's managed to survive our occasionally frosty winters here in La Cresta.